Means for attaching skates to shoes



Dec. 28, 1937. F. G. TAPPE 2,103,737

MEANS FOR ATTACHING SKATES TO SHOES Filed Jan. 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Dec. 28, 1937. F. G. TAPPE 2,103,737

MEANS FOR ATTACHING SKATES T0 SHOES Filed Jan. 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 10, 1935, Serial No. 1,082 In Sweden October 5, 1934 6 Claims. (01. zen-11.31)

The present invention relates to skates and consists in the provision of means for a removable attachment of skates to shoes. When attaching skates to shoes, one has-until nowusually done this in the way that the skate has been screwed to the sole of the shoe or fastened to the shoe by means of straps and the like; but both these methods include diflicultiesand complications, and it is one of the. objects .of this invention to provide means whereby these difficulties can be overcome.

According to this invention, the skate is attached to the shoe by means of a snap mechanism which is constructed in such a way that the work provided in order to attach the shoe to the skate only consists in the matter of pressing the shoe down against the skate, whereby springy means will catch hold of the heel of the shoe, at the same time as lugs, arranged on they front end of the skate, will engage with the front, part of the sole of the shoe.

The invention thus consists in a skate, having a foot plate and means for attaching the skate removably to the shoe, said means comprising lugs on both sides of the front end of the foot plate and adapted to engage with and hold the sole of the shoe both with respect to longitudinal forward movements and to movements, normal to the said foot plate, the skate being further provided with springy' lugs, adapted to engage with the heel of the shoe, at the same time as these lugs are mounted on the skate in such a way that they may perform a limited swinging movement in the vertical plane about an axis through the plane of the foot plate near the middle part of same, this swinging movement in the vertical plane being counteracted by a spring action, which according to this invention may be provided by attaching the said springy lugs to a springy plate which in itself will provide for the springy action, or it may be arranged otherwise.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, describing one embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention where the skate is attached to the shoe.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 illustrates a modification to a larger scale and Fig. 4 illustrates a detail.

Fig. 5 is a substantially transverse sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Fig. 6 is a substantially transverse sectional view of a toe clamp in a slightly modified form.

In the drawings, denotes a skate of commonly known shape which may be provided with a foot plate 2, substantially shaped as the sole of a shoe.

At the front part of the foot plate 2, lugs 3, 4 are attached to the foot plate 2 by means 'of' screws 5, which are passed through the plate, for instance in slots 6 in such a way that the lugs 3, 4 may be adjusted in the transversedirection in order to be fit to shoes of different width.

The lugs 3, 4 may be inbent or may be provided with a conventional flange 4 adapted to rest against the upper side of the sole of the shoe.

Furthermore, the lugs 3, a are locked on the foot'plat'e 2 by means of teeth I, 8, in the foot plate 2 and on the lugs 3, 4, respectively. These teeth are arranged in such a way that it is possible to adjust the lugs 3, 4 by swinging them around the centre of the screws 5. At the same time, these teeth which engage with each other however, is the arrangement of the means for 3 grasping the'heel of the shoe, which in combination with the lugs provides for the'attachm'ent of the shoe to the skate. This rear means for attachment consists primarily in a plate 9, which is attached to the plate 2 a short distance behind the middle part of the footplate 2. The plate 9 is preferably made of a springy material, but may also be manufactured of a stiff material, special springy means being then arranged in order to insure that it at all times will tend to rest against the plate. At the rear end of the plate 9 upwardly extending springy ears H), II are arranged, the upper edges l2, l3 of which are outwardly bent.

The shape of the ears is made in this way to make it possible to press the heel of the shoe in engagement with the same without having to use any special means. In order that the ears I0, I I shall engage securely with the heel of the shoe, it is preferred to provide in the said heel a groove or the like 4'.

Assuming now that the springy ears in, II 5 of the plate 2 is attached to same, the action is 55 provided, however, that by lifting the heel from the skate, the plate 9 will follow and the engagement between the ears In, H and the heel will be tightened whereby the shoe will not loosen from the skate. In order to prevent that the plate 9 shall be lifted up too high from the skate, means may be provided, as for instance indicated in the drawings, by downwardly extending tongues Hand [5 with inbent tongues l6 and I! which will extend in under the plate 2 and limit the movement of the plate 9 by engaging with the lower side of the plate 2. These tongues 14 and I5 will have a second action by serving to change the axis of rotation of the plate 9 from the point where the plate 9 is attached to the plate 2--for the first lifting of the heel-to an axis through these tongues after the lugs or tongues l4 and 15 have engaged with the underside of the plate 2. This will furthermore insure that the engagement between the ears i0, II and the heel of the shoe will be tighter, the more the heel of the shoe is pulled away from the skate proper.

In order to adjust the distance between the ears 3, 4 and the ears I2, 13 in relation to the length of the shoe which is going to be used on the skate, a slot l9 has been cut in the plate 2 and has been provided with a rack of teeth 20. On the skate 9 a locking mechanism 2| has been arranged, serving to bring the plate 9 in detachable connection with the plate 2. This locking means has been shown separately in Fig. 4, and it will be unnecessary to describe this any further as it is known from Swedish Patent No. 81,219.

It is also possible, however, to attach the plate 9 to the plate 2 with the interconnection of a spring mechanism 22 as shown in Fig. 3. In this case the plate 9 has been provided witha downwardly extending tongue 23 which passes through a slot IS in the plate 2. Ihe spring22 tends at any time to force the plate 9' as far as possible towards the right in the drawings, and when the shoe is arranged in place, then the spring 22 must be compressed to some extent. The spring will thus at all times cause the ears in, II to press tightly against the heel of the shoe, nonregarding the length of the shoe used.

The plate 9 is further provided with a backwardly extending projection 24, adapted to pass around the back edge of the heel of the shoe and to be used when the skate is to be detached from the shoe. By pressing the extension 24 down, it is very easy to remove the connection between the tongues l2, l3 and the groove 4 on the heel of the shoe.

It must be understood that, although in the above description the skate described is of the usual ice skate type, the invention is not limited to this type of skate, but may as Well be used in connection with any other type, as for instance roller skates.

I claim:

1. In a skate having a footplate rigidly connected thereto and toe clamps, the combination a of springy lugs adapted to engage the heel of the shoe and mounted for swinging movement about an axis through the plane of the foot plate near to and rearwardly of the midportion of said footplate and spring means to draw said lugs resiliently towards said skate.

2. In a skate, as claimed in claim 1, further means to positively limit the swinging movement of said lugs with respect to said foot plate.

3. The combination of a skate having a foot plate rigidly connected thereto and toe clamps, with springy lugs adapted to engage the heel of the shoe and a plate of springy material carrying said lugs, the forward portion of said carrier plate being fastened for longitudinal adjustment to the middle part of said foot plate and the rear end of said carrier plate being free for upward and downward swinging movements.

4. A combination, as claimed in claim 3, in which said carrier plate is provided with downwardly projecting lugs with inwardly turned tongues embracing the rear portion of said foot plate to positively limit the swinging movement of said lugs and carrier plate with respect to said foot plate 5. A combination, as claimed in claim 3, in which said lugs are provided with outwardly bent extensions to facilitate the engagement with the shoe heel. a

6. A combination, as claimed in claim 3, in which saidcarrier plate is provided with a'rearwardly projecting extension to disengage the parts when removing the skate.

FRANK GEORG APPE'. 

